Chinese men half as engaged in housework as Scandinavian men

Chinese men half as engaged in housework as Scandinavian men

According to a new study, Chinese men only take part in half the amount of household chores as Scandinavian men do. Gender patterns of the past are difficult to change, says expert. (Photo: Ernie, Flickr)

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Chinese men spend 91 minutes doing household chores each day, placing them near the bottom of the list in a new study among males from major economies.

According to a report published by Statistics Korea on Monday, December 7, Chinese men only prioritize their household half as much as men from Norway and Denmark, who top the list, do.

The report, which is based on data sourced from 26 OECD countries plus China, India and South Africa, shows that Danish men are the most active around the house, spending 186 minutes on chores, followed by Norway (184 minutes) and Australia (172 minutes).

“The role of the Chinese man is rooted in a tradition that is a thousand years old,” says Qi Wang. She is an associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark, specialised in gender relations in China. Moreover, she is a Chinese expatriate in Denmark.

“When the Chinese Communist Party came to power, they tried to change this norm by saying to the men that they had to let go of the old family patterns, but it did not really work,” she says, and explains that the market economy of present, in her mind, has reinforced the old gender pattern.

“A lot of young and well-educated men are having a hard time finding jobs in China right now. They are fighting hard to get a job and leaving it to the women to take care of the households,” says Qi Wang.

Different conception of gender roles

Qi Wang has been living in Denmark since 1988. She thinks the big difference between China and the Scandinavian countries is that Scandinavians don't have a conception of gender roles that is entrenched.

“To go for a walk with the family, have dinner and participate in the upbringing of the children is seen as an important part of life in Scandinavia,” says Qi Wang, who thinks that group dynamics are an important factor, as the value of the group as a whole shapes the decisions and priorities of the individuals.

“It is socially acceptable to sacrifice the family life in order to prioritise work, but this norm is developing,” says Qi Wang, and continues: “I was born in Shenyang, which is a big industrial city. There the conception of masculinity was not one where men were walking around with a pram. It was on the other hand, connected to working life. The typical male was seen as big, strong and tough - mainly because of the hard nature of the industrial work.”

Men in Shanghai are softer

The role of the male is changing in many parts of the world. And in a country like China, which has seen an economic, developmental and social change more comprehensive than ever before in history, the role of the Chinese man is also evolving.

“Men in rural China are obviously different than men on the east coast. In Shanghai, which is probably the most modern Chinese city, men are clearly more willing to help out at home,” says Qi Wang, who also thinks that women in Shanghai are more demanding in terms of wanting to pursue a career and expecting that their spouse takes an active part in family life, while managing his own work.

Korean men with least housework

Asian men, in general, performed badly in the study. According to the report, Korean men only spend 45 minutes per day on housework, placing them dead last in the study, which puts the average housework time performed by men at 139 minutes.

Korean women spend 227 minutes on housework, according to the report – 182 minutes more than Korean men. India, however, marked the largest difference between men and women, with 300 minutes. Norway had the smallest gap with Norwegian women spending 31 minutes more on housework than Norwegian men.